Summer Recipes For A Crowd...Using Essential Oils!

Summer Recipes For A Crowd...Using Essential Oils!
Who doesn't love a good summer get together?!

Thinking up unique food ideas, especially for a crowd can be a daunting task. I'm not much of a cook, but I have a secret weapon that can give a store bought food item that wow factor! 

Drumroll.......essential oils! Yep, did you know you can use them to uplevel your summer recipes and create a dish with next level flavor fairly simply? I have used them to wow my guests who know I don't cook. They wonder how I can still serve them up something so delicious.

*Make sure you are using essential oils labeled for internal consumption! I like Young Living's Vitality™ Line. You can choose from over 20 different essential oils all specifically labeled for consumption! You can check them out HERE.*

To start the party, drinks are up. This is my absolute favorite summertime drink....a 
watermelon slushy. I buy the watermelon in cut up chunks ready to go. Then you simply add it to a blender with the other ingredients. If you want to make it alcoholic...vodka is a great addition :)

Watermelon Lime Slushy
2 cups watermelon
1 cup coconut water
1 cup ice

Then we need some snacks...grilled fruit kabobs are easy and simple and get me rave reviews! I buy a fruit bowl with the fruit already sliced..in some stores you can find them on a skewer already as well. Then simply grill each side to carmelize the sugar and dip in the yogurt dip.. By the way, if that's too complicated for ya-sometimes it is for me too-lol. I simply purchase the fruit bowl and serve with the boosted yogurt dip-no grilling is required! 

Grilled Fruit Kabobs
Fruit Slices (Pineapple Slices, Apple Slices, and Cantaloupe chunks are usually found readily in stores)
Bamboo Grill Skewers
Vanilla Yogurt 
2-5 drops Lemon essential oil (I have also used Lime or Orange essential oil)

Arrange slices and chunks, alternating fruit, on a skewer. Then grill 1-2 min each side. Add the container of yogurt to a serving bowl and mix in the essential oil for dipping the fruit in.

I have also simply added 5 drops each of Lemon, Lime, and Orange essential oil to a tablespoon of honey and drizzled over a big store-bought bowl of fruit!

Popcorn makes another great snack. For a 'Margarita Style' popcorn...

Melt 1/4 cup coconut oil, add 6 drops Lime essential oil, and mix well. Then Drizzle over the popped popcorn and sprinkle with salt to taste.

Chips and salsa is an old standby...make them stand out by....

Adding 2 drops of Lime essential oil and 2 drops of Cilantro essential oil to a jar of salsa.

Adding 3 drops of Lime essential oil, 1 drop of Black Pepper essential oil, and 1 drop of Cilantro essential oil to a container of Pico De Gallo.

Being mostly vegetarian, main courses from me are usually a salad. I simply buy pre-made bags of salad and then wow everyone with a yummy dressing. I have simply added a few drops of an essential oil to a purchased salad dressing as well. Look at your ingredients in the salad dressing you buy.....for example, if Basil is on the label try adding a drop of Basil essential oil. If it's a citrus dressing, jazz it up with a drop or 2 of a citrus essential oil. Dill is another great ingredient to look for that you can boost by adding a drop of Dill essential oil. Ginger essential oil is another great one to use that boosts flavor in asian style dressings. 

Or making this salad dressing is pretty easy! It's my stand by that I use for myself most of the time.

Citrus Vinaigrette 
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 TBS White Wine Vinegar
1 TBS honey
2 TBS minced garlic

Mix all ingredients together in a recycled jar and give it a good shake each time you use. 

I have also used this to marinade portobello mushrooms and then throw them on the grill for a main course. 

I like to make cupcakes for a summer dessert. Single serve and easy to grab. No silverware required, either! It's easy to whip up a store bought batter from a box and use pre made frosting. While the cup cakes are baking, I can whip up the other food items. I like to buy Vanilla, then I add about 10 drops of essential oil to the batter. I usually do Orange, Lemon, or Lime essential oil. I then add 3-5 drops of the same essential oil I used in the batter to the frosting. If you are doing chocolate, use Peppermint...yumm! Orange works well too, tho!

Cooking flavorful dishes can be as easy as adding essential oils to pre made items(..wink, wink)

For more tips in using essential oils with cooking and additional recipes, grab my PDF freebie 'Boost Your Flavor' HERE

3 Ways To Make Drinking Water More Fun!

3 Ways To Make Drinking Water More Fun!

Did you know that it's generally recommended that you drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day…by the way…thats plain jane H2O…not tea, coffee, soda, lemonade, or even in my case- Kombucha-lol

If you're like me, water can get boring..and who wants to keep track of how much they're drinking..we have enough to do-right?! Luckily, there are easy ways we can spice it up, and keep track of our intake.

3 Easy tips to jazz up your water and get those ounces in by the end of the day.

  • Invest in a stainless steel or glass water bottle and know how much it holds and how many times per day you need a refill to get to your desired number..you’d be surprised at how helpful this is…

  • Or, invest in a  glass pitcher, fill it up per day with your needed water amount and then add fruit or lemon, keep in the fridge.. and cold refreshing agua is always at your fingertips…plus you know you need to empty it by the end of the day, and when ya do, you've achieved your daily intake..try lemon, watermelon, strawberry, even cantaloupe…I like to buy whatever organic produce is on sale and use that..then I get a new flavor often. 

  • Try infusing your water with essential oils..glass or stainless steel vessels only, as essential oils degrade plastic, and who wants to drink plastic?! Just 1 drop will do, and you will have to shake before every swig, as essential oils and water don’t mix, but heck, that breaks up the monotony-lol. 

More tips for adding essential oils to your water:

  • If you prefer a tad of sweet, add a few drops of honey to your water bottle, add a drop of essential oil, then fill your bottle up with water. This will help the essential oil mix in the water, but you still need to shake well before drinking. You can also purchase Stevia drops at your local grocery or on Amazon, and use that instead of honey to keep it zero calorie. 

  • Make sure you are using essential oils labeled for ingestion! I like Young Living's Vitality™ Line. You can use any essential oil labeled for ingestion...but some of them are too strong and don't taste good, for example-Oregano.

  • Any of the citrus oils are mild enough to use a drop and get away with it-haha! I also like to do a full drop of Peppermint.…and if you like Earl Grey Tea, try a drop of Bergamot.

  • Some essential oils taste good but a drop is too much, so you can dip a toothpick thru the orifice, then swirl the toothpick in your water bottle after ya fill it. Good examples of this are Cinnamon, Copaiba, Spearmint, Nutmeg, and Lavender. 

Everyones tastes are different, so pick an essential oil based on what you think you may like, and give it a try...if it's too strong, add more water. 

If you're interested in more info about consuming essential oils...grab my free guide that includes what you need to know to safely ingest essential oils. Grab it HERE!



Infuse your olive oil for next level flavor!

Infuse your olive oil for next level flavor!
It's no secret I don't like to cook...but I love to eat a flavorful dish, especially one that's healthy for me. There in lies the dilemma-how do you create a next level dish full of flavor by just throwing a few ingredients together (my style of cooking-lol) ?!

Easy! You add essential oils! Only use essential oils labeled for ingestion, though! Read your labels! I like and use Young Living's Vitality™ Line. A full line of essential oils labeled specifically for ingestion! If you don't have essential oils yet and want to grab some for the below recipes, click HERE, it’ll take ya to a bundle I created listing all of the essential oils used in the recipes below, from the world leader in essential oils-Young Living™. Simply pick which ones you’d like, add to the cart, and check out! Easy peasy and thanks for supporting my small business! (This is an affiliate link and I earn a small commission from your order at no cost to you.)


How do you add the essential oils? Glad you asked :)

One way is by infusing your olive oil. This makes it super easy to add flavor to any meal, whether you are cooking it or buying it ready made. Once infused, you can drizzle it over vegetables, bread, pasta, meats, or make a salad dressing. You can even drizzle it over popcorn instead of butter and salt! 

Generally I like to add 2 drops of essential oil per ounce of olive oil, but feel free to experiment.  There are some flavors, like Ginger, that I prefer stronger so I add more. Start on the low side though, and then try your olive oil before adding more. You can always add more, it's much harder to dilute out if you add too much. I have also found when adding multiple essential oils, there is usually one I like to add more of and one less. For example, when mixing Lemon & Black Pepper, I like to use the 2 drops per oz. of Lemon, but then only add 1 drop per oz. of Black Pepper. 

Here are a few of my favorite flavor combinations: I generally buy several 8 oz. bottles of olive oil and add the drops of essential oil directly to the bottle. Then I gently invert the bottle to mix well. You can use right away, as the essential oil is incorporated very quickly into the olive oil, and the flavor boost is readily apparent.  That's one benefit over dried herbs, no need to let sit on the shelf for awhile!

This can also make a great gift! You can by inexpensive cute glass jars on amazon. Depending on the size, just do the math for how much essential oil to add. Then you can dress it up with ribbons or bows and make a label to tape on. You can buy sheets of labels on Amazon, or download my free 'PDF Label Sheet' HERE. Simply print, cut, and adhere to the bottle with contact paper or clear packing tape. Nothing says love like a handmade gift!

The below recipes are for adding to 8 oz. of olive oil. If you have a larger or smaller bottle of olive oil, just do the math and stick to 2 drops per oz. as a guideline. 

Lemon & Black Pepper 
16 drops Lemon
8 drops Black Pepper

Lemon & Basil
16 drops Lemon
8 drops Basil

Rosemary & Sage
8 drops Rosemary
8 drops Sage

Oregano & Thyme
16 drops each

Lemongrass & Mint
16 drops Lemongrass
8 drops Peppermint

Lemon & Dill
16 drops Lemon
16 drops Dill

And this one is my favorite for drizzling over popcorn...I add the following oils to 8 oz. of olive oil.

16 drops Cinnamon, 16 drops Orange, and 8 drops Cardamom 

I feel like this is a healthier alternative versus butter and salt..and great for vegans. 

Don't be afraid to experiment, but make smaller batches, just in case ya don't like what you created.

You can also easily infuse salt, butter, tea, and even your water! For more tips on using essential oils with your food, download my free guide 'Boost Your Flavor' HERE

Now What?! Can I 'eat' my oils?

Now What?! Can I 'eat' my oils?
Welcome back to 'Ya got some oils-Now What?!'...lol...last week we chatted bout a fun way to use your oils by simply smelling them, if ya missed it...check it out HERE

This week let's chat about another way you can use your oils, by 'eating' them. Say what?! We can 'eat' our oils?! Short answer....YES!..... but it does depend......on what, you ask? Well, there are a few things you should know.

  1. Only ingest an essential oil labeled for use in this way... How do ya know that? Simple, read your labels. Any essential oil you buy will have a label and that label should clearly state directions for use, or do not ingest. If it isn't stated, don't eat it! I like Young Living's Vitality™ Line, a complete line of essential oils labeled specifically for internal use! (easy peasy)
  2. Quality matters! One of our goals with using essential oils is to try a more natural approach and be the gatekeeper of our homes, barring chemicals that are bad for us. We sure don't want to be eating more chemicals! 
  3. You can also check out the FDA's GRAS list (google it) GRAS stands for generally regarded as safe....
  4. Remember, a little gos a long way. There can be the equivalent of around 75 lemons in one 15 ml bottle of Lemon essential oil. Wowza!
Now you may be asking how? This is the fun part, so many options! Here's my favorites:

  • Add a few drops to a capsule to support wellness
  • Add a few drops to honey, then add hot water and make a tea
  • Infuse honey, salt, vinegar, or olive oil
  • Add to recipes to boost flavor
  • Substitute in recipes for the dried herb
For a handy e-book with guidelines, substitution amounts, and some of my favorite recipes all in one place, click HERE

Stay tuned for a re-cap on topical essential oil use…and in the meantime….’Oil On’

…and if ya haven't done so yet…be sure to click HERE
and join my online community where we chat oils, horses, dogs, and even some massage! 


Take your honey to the next level.....

Take your honey to the next level.....
If you have essential oils labeled for ingestion, its super easy to spice up your honey! It only takes a minute to make and adds a super flavor punch. Try oil infused honey in your tea, morning oatmeal, or baking those favorite desserts...
This also makes a great gift! Cute gift jars are readily available on Amazon, or recycle an empty jar you already have and dress it up with bows and ribbons. Make a cute homemade label and tape on the jar. There's a lot of love in a homemade gift!

Easy Peasy Oil Infused Honey 

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 5-8 drops essential oil that is labeled for ingestion/supplement 
  • Cinnamon or Lemon are my faves, or try Orange, Lime, Bergamot, or Tangerine

Instructions
Add honey to a 2 oz. galsss jar, add essential oil and stir well. 




For more easy recipes that will next level your food using essential oils, join my weekly newsletter HERE
 
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